City of San Leandro

Measure NN - Majority Approval Required

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Election Results

Passed

22,710 votes yes (75.23%)

7,476 votes no (24.77%)

100% of precincts reporting (54/54).

To maintain and enhance the City of San Leandro, with funding that cannot be taken by Sacramento, including: social services, public art, programs that celebrate diversity, multilingual programming and other general city services, shall the City of San Leandro levy an ongoing tax of up to10% of gross receipts of cannabis (marijuana) businesses in the city, providing $500,000 annually, requiring independent citizen oversight, financial audits, and that all funds stay in the City of San Leandro?

story times, a homework center, public access computers and free wi-fi at Mulford-Marina Branch

Sacramento politicians take $12,000,000 annually from San Leandro. Funding generated by Measures NN, OO and PP replaces this funding, giving San Leandro taxpayers LOCAL control over LOCAL funds for LOCAL needs.

NO funds can be taken by Sacramento politicians.

NO money raised from Measures NN, OO and PP will be used for administrator salaries.

YES on NN, OO and PP are fiscally accountable. All three measures require independent citizen oversight, mandatory financial audits, and yearly reports to the community to ensure that money is spent as promised.

Join a unanimous City Council and San Leandro’s police officers, firefighters, teachers, neighborhood community leaders and business leaders in voting YES on NN, OO and PP!

For factual information about these measures, visit www.cityofsanleandro.org
Remember to VOTE LOCAL in this busy election! Join us.

Arguments AGAINST

Just as the City Council finally woke up in the 21st Century and recognized the need for a licensed medical cannabis dispensary in San Leandro (which has been legal in California since the late 20th Century), they decided that the price of this critical medicine is far too low. Now they want to impose a new 10% tax on it (over and above our already exorbitant 10% sales tax). Medical insurance policies won’t cover this cost, so they are taking money from sick people to line their own pockets. Their compassion has been overcome by their greed.

They anticipate a new tax windfall, and naively assume that Proposition 64 will pass in November and recreational cannabis will be legalized statewide so they can make even more money, because they’ve now licensed two such establishments. But this is by no means guaranteed. Proposition 19 narrowly failed in 2010 and Proposition 64 faces strong opposition from many voters and even staunch cannabis activists who once endorsed earlier legalization proposals.

Medical Marijuana, however, has been legal since 1996 and is vital to the quality of life of many disabled adults and senior citizens who depend on it for their health and well-being. Senior citizens, AIDS patients and chronic pain sufferers were the driving force behind Proposition 215 when the Libertarian Party helped gather signatures in San Leandro to legalize medical marijuana back in 1996.

It has taken 20 long years for this city to finally respond to the pressing need for a local dispensary to provide convenient access to cannabis, but now they want to exploit it for their own purposes. This proposal will tax cannabis sold in our city at double the rate imposed on identical businesses in Oakland.

Don’t rob sick people to raise public servant salaries. Vote NO on the cannabis tax.

Replies to Arguments FOR

The San Leandro City Council makes great promises about how the funds collected by the Measure NN taxes will be spent, but the Council has a terrible record of actually keeping its word. Just two years ago, they told us we needed to raise taxes through Measure HH to pay for repairing our roads. Alas, according to the Measure HH Citizen's Oversight Committee report, only 5% of the money was used for that purpose. The rest went on to fund regular city expenses. Given such precedent, it would be foolish to believe the funds from Measure NN will be spent as promised.

But even if they were, Measure NN is a profoundly flawed tax. It seeks to have the City profit from the ailments of its citizens. Cancer patients looking for relief from the debilitating effects of chemotherapy, veterans using marijuana to relieve their PTSD symptoms and Multiple-Sclerosis patients looking for relief from pain and spasms should not be looked upon by the City as cash cows, a population whose medical needs can be exploited to fill the City's coffers. The San Leandro City Council should work to improve public health in the City and provide services t o its ill and disabled citizens. It should not seek to profit from their misery.

Vote NO on Measure NN!

s/ Terry Floyd

Treasure, Libertarian Party of Alameda County

s/ Stephen Carbonaro

Retired

s/ Margarita Lacabe

Human Rights Activist

s/ Francis Leidy

Business Owner

Replies to Arguments AGAINST

In 1996, California voters authorized the legal use of medical marijuana. The State of California now collects over $49,000,000 in sales tax from medical marijuana annually, while San Leandro receives almost nothing.Many cities and counties are taxing these businesses and generating revenue to support local community services.

YES on NN simply allows San Leandro to tax and regulate marijuana businesses as other cities, counties and states have already done.

Voting YES on NN is a first step in regulating these businesses locally, to ensure patients receive safe medicine and public safety is maintained. All revenue generated will benefit OUR local services.

YES on NN requires marijuana businesses to pay taxes just like every other San Leandro business—they shouldn’t be exempt from paying their fair share! The City will have the authority to regulate, audit and ensure payments just like it does for everyone else.

Here’s what Measure NN WON’T do:

Measure NN WON’T tax patients, disabled adults or seniors.

Measure NN is NOT a tax on San Leandro residents or property owners.

The revenue generated by voting YES on NN and Measures PP & OO will be used exclusively for maintaining vital San Leandro services such as: providing shelter for abused women/children; fixing potholes and repairing city streets; improving 911 emergency response times; enhancing safety net programs for homeless and at-risk adults & children; and providing essential improvements to the San Leandro Library.

Join a unanimous Mayor and City Council and San Leandrans from every neighborhood: